Turn, the new Revolutionary War espionage show takes far too long to get to the espionage.The first two episodes drag, none of the characters stand out, and the Brits are cartoonishly evil.While they can't completely ignore the existence of slavery, showing a couple black faces in the background and then going on business as usual is just as bad as ignoring it.Every member of the cast is strong in their role, but nobody truly stands out.Shaky cam is used far too liberally, and the sets and costumes, while fantastic and authentic looking, are far too clean looking.But, by episode three it finds its footing, and could have great potential.Unfortunately, audiences may not have the patience for it.

Based on the novel Washington's Spies by Alexander Rose, Turn arrives as AMC's newest series, an entertaining enough dramatization of the history of rebel spies during the Revolutionary War.Yet, while the show is well directed, acted, and written, its central drama never becomes as compelling as it could, and perhaps may, as the series goes on.The danger of espionage never generates much suspense, and there's a lack of being able to connect the dots as to who knows what and how it will effectively play out amongst all the shadowy dealings.AMC has been keeping an eye out for its next big show, given the fact that Breaking Bad has ended and Mad Men will soon depart.But Turn is more Hell on Wheels than it is The Walking Dead, featuring high production values and a believable period setting, without the genre guidance that Wheels has as a benefit.As far as dramatized history goes, you could do far worse than Turn, but with the first three episodes AMC may not have provided enough to get viewers to turn on their sets.

Turn centers on the Revolutionary War and the beginnings of spy rings and American espionage as a means to take down the British Empire.A certain level of interest in the time period isn't required, though it will assist as some of the narrative is a bit dense, and could benefit the viewer if they have at least a working knowledge of the time period.Certain things plot wise are a bit hard to follow, though by episode two we have more of a sense of the trajectory of the series, but things begin to meander.I do like the characters, and it's interesting to see this time period represented on screen in such a grounded and realistic manner, the show just needs a bit more juice behind it, because the gimmick of us following early spies, wears thin.Jamie Bell is great here as our lead, confidently falling into the role of Abe.Skinny and waifish, he looks like he is of the time period, and sounds like it as well.Turn also looks great, with sweeping shots of early America, that make it feel authentic; TV really has upped its game in terms of visual aesthetic.